What type of couple’s session is this?
This was a styled shoot set up by Let’s Go Workshop in November 2018. I’ve been advertising it as that and as an elopement session as I did have the opportunity to have one on one time with them during this shoot.
Tell us a bit about your approach to the work you do, your time in the business and a few personal facts about you.
The approach I take with my work comes from a single place. A place of authenticity, both for myself and for my clients. I want genuine emotions and genuine connection. No fluff. Nothing posed. Just real moments. I want to capture people as they are in their lives right now just as they are. I’ve been in business since 2014 but I’ve been holding a camera in my hands since I was a little girl when I would take the camera from my mom’s hands. A few things about me: I’m a dog mama to Walt, Tina Belcher to a T, I live for love and manifested it in 2018, I curse…. A LOT, I scream when I nail a shot (I have to warn all my clients) and I crave connection more than anything in this entire world.
What makes you the most nervous during a session?
Talking to people. When I first started out I was terrified to photograph people because I was really shy and introverted. Now I can’t imagine people not being in my frame but let me tell you. IT’S HARD. I want to crawl under a rock. I have to give myself a pep talk before each session reaffirming that my client chose me and that we connect already and that I don’t need to go run and hide.
What about this session was most memorable?
Other than the beautiful colors that were coming from the sky and how cold it was (it was mid-November so it was FREEZING) it was their connection. There was something about them. They just connected to each other on a different level and you could feel it. I really didn’t have to tell them to do anything except run around to get warm. There was no posing. They just did what they do best, loved each other, and they sat with it.
Were there any hurdles?
Getting out of my head and just being in the moment is often my hurdle. I have to remind myself to stop, look around and feel my way through it. Being on autopilot can be a good thing because it creates flow but it’s just as important to take a step back, look around. Sometimes you’ll see something that you wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
Your best photographer/session advice?
Some of the best advice I ever received was to make your equipment work for you, you don’t work for your equipment. Because of that, I take a unique approach. My gear is insured (INSURE INSURE INSURE) so I don’t fear any situation I may get put in. No matter the weather, no matter the conditions I just go with it and I don’t worry about my gear. I set it down in the sand, I take it to a waterfall and we get soaked and I’ll put it on rocks if I have to. Doesn’t matter to me. By taking away the fear that my equipment is going to get hurt or ruined it helps me focus on what truly matters. What we’re experiencing.
What is one goal for your business?
My goal this year is to get my content out there. I get scared of rejection and failure and that fear has shut me down consistently in the past which has kept me from submitting and even something as simple as just posting my work to Instagram. I want to connect with people. In order to do that I have to share what I do. It can be a double edged sword but I’m working on it.
What gear was used to achieve these? Nikon D750 / 50mm 1.4
Any presets used or hand editing? Hand Editing
ABOUT THE ARTIST :
My name is Ali and I’m a Portrait and Wedding photographer based in Portland, Oregon. I’ve had a camera in my hand since I was a little girl and my passion is capturing a passionate soul’s. I specialize in documenting people as authentically as possible, as they are right here and right now. I’m a self-taught photographer who is not a gear head or will know what settings I used for a particular shot. I feel my way through life and through my photography. I will always choose to just go with it and see what happens because for me it’s about the moments and the time being spent together. 9 times out of 10 I honestly don’t know what I’m doing. But I do it anyway because at the end of the day I get to meet people like you. I get to spend time with you. And I get to do what I love. Photograph you.
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